Between a Rock and a Hard Place
by CrossedQuills
Summary: The guys bite off more than they can chew on a hunt. Gladio and Ignis end up crammed into a tight space to hide from a gargantuan snake and things get...awkward to say the least. Ignis x Gladio. Mostly rated for chapter 2. Early game, very few spoilers if any.
1. Chapter 1

*Inspired by the fanart done by karedake-annex on Tumblr. Quite impressive work.

BETWEEN A ROCK…

Part 1/2

The four of them had been on the road for about a month now. The current task on the docket was transport to Altissia now that the ferry out of Galdin Quay was out of commission for the foreseeable future. Cid had something in the works, but it wouldn't be done for a while. In the meantime Prince Noctis and his Crownsguard were keeping themselves busy with hunts and helping civilians out whenever they could.

They'd managed to take out a couple of Imperial Bases as well, which was a welcomed bonus. Where it lacked in Gil it more than made up for it in the satisfaction of being a thorn in the Nif's side.

Currently the group found themselves in the Lestallum spice market, cashing in their latest hunt. The griffin was a bit of a challenge, but thanks to Prompto's firearms and a few well-placed warp strikes they managed. "Perhaps we should avoid avian enemies for the time being," suggested Ignis as Gladio collected the Gil from their hunt and perused the options for the next one.

"You got an eye on the kids?" Gladio asked Ignis over his shoulder.

The strategist looked up from the ground cumin and paprika and scanned the market, finding them tucked in a corner of the market browsing Prompto's photos from earlier that day. "I do," he replied. A smile tugged at the corner of Ignis' lips as he watched the blonde look up fondly at the Prince more than he did his own photos. When Noctis laughed at one particular photo and wrapped an arm over Prompto's shoulder the blond went completely flush.

Ignis was quite happy to see his ward smiling, especially after the news about Insomnia and everything else that entailed.

"Okay Iggs," said Gladio, "The choices for the next hunt are: Three mind-flayers at night, a Marlboro at night, a giant lighting shooting spider lady at night…lot of night hunts… oh and one giant snake anytime by a waterfall."

Ignis sighed, "Well, with those options I'm inclining toward the diurnal one."

Gladio nodded. "Giant snake it is."

Ignis' eyes turned back down to the spices. "Just make sure we stock up on antidotes and curatives before we go. If it's the variety of snake I think it is, then they tend to spit venom." The last one Ignis saw was large enough to stand fifteen feet tall when it reared up. Hopefully this one wasn't that big.

"Gotcha."

He pondered for a moment. "What spice do you suppose would go with snake meat?"

Gladio appeared next to him. He put a hand on his shoulder as he perused the spice selection. "What would we be eating with it?"

Ignis took a shallow breath, Prompto wasn't the only one to blush at the occasional contact. Though he suspected Gladio didn't do it intentionally. He cleared his throat. "Rice, most likely. Maybe some greens if we find any."

"Then I'd probably go for some of those chili peppers and citrus. Maybe some fresh cilantro if you can find it. Snake meat is pretty bland."

Ignis tilted his head toward the larger man. "You've had some before?"

"Once or twice. If we can find some scorpion that's even better. Those taste a bit citrusy on their own. Might pair well. Either way I'm sure you'll cook up something fantastic. You always do." He gave Ignis a tap on the ass before walking toward the younger men, eliciting an even deeper blush from the strategist.

Thankfully Gladio was out of eye shot before he could see it. "Spicy food it is then."

They were restocked with curatives and on the road again within the hour. The two younger men opting to ride in the back seat so they could play Kings Knight against one another. That was the excuse Prompto used anyway. Gladio didn't care either way so long as he could push the seat back to accommodate for his longer legs.

They drove quietly with the radio on low so Gladio could read without much distraction. Ignis glanced over to the book he'd been occupying himself with since the beginning of the trip. It was a dark green volume with a silver cicada emblem on the front. Gladio's brow furrowed as he leaned forward into the pages suddenly. "Oh, shit."

"Something the matter?" Ignis asked, trying not to take his eyes off the road.

Gladio put his thumb on the page he was on, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "I feel betrayed."

"Care to elaborate?"

"The main characters lover, who honestly was really likeable up to this point, just drugged their whole group. They just woke up in a cell with her on the other side of the bars taunting them. She'd been working with the enemy the whole time. That fucking bitch!"

"Language."

Gladio shook his head, "Nope, not censoring myself this time. She deserves every curse word thrown at her."

Despite the foul language Ignis couldn't help but smile as Gladio dove back into the pages. It had been forever since he'd seen the shield so riled up about something not work related. He let him read uninterrupted for the next hour until they got near the area on the map where the serpent had been seen last.

As they parked Gladio finished the page before replacing the bookmark and tucking it in between the seat and center console for safe keeping.

"Has the situation for your characters improved?" Ignis asked as they walked down to the waterfall, keeping an eye out for danger.

"No," he grumbled. "They're still prisoners. Things aren't looking good."

Prompto patted his tattooed shoulder. "It'll be alright, Dude. It's not like you're reading Game of Thrones or anything. Your characters will figure it out."

Gladio pat the blondes head playfully. "Thanks, Prom."

The closer to the waterfall they got, the more on edge they became. Ignis paid special attention to the water's edge, noticing some sahagin gators sunbathing on the rocky shore upriver. They wandered around looking for the serpent in the rock outcroppings and shallow waters for over two hours, but only ended up finding a few wild edibles.

"You think someone else got it already?" said Noctis, looking more bored than anything.

Ignis sighed. "That's a distinct possibility, some of those hunts have been there for a while. Or perhaps it's moved."

"Or one of those gators ate it," offered Prompto.

Gladio glanced up at the position of the sun. "Well, whatever the reason, let's set up the haven before the sun starts going down. I saw one about a quarter mile up the hill."

Prompto and Noctis groaned in tandem. "I don't wanna camp," said Noctis.

"Too bad, Princess. We won't make it back to Lestallum before dark. Besides, we've got some good weather on our side. It's supposed to be warm tonight." This news didn't seem to alter the Prince's expression. "Come on, I'll set the tent up."

With camp made up and a safe fishing spot within view of the haven, Noctis and Prompto decided to go kill some time until dinner. Much to the boys chagrin Ignis and Gladio insisted on joining them. "There are still sahagin everywhere," Ignis pointed out. "Even if we couldn't find the serpent it's not an area I would call safe by any stretch of the imagination."

They huffed, but relented. Gladio suspected they wanted some time to themselves, but unless they were at the haven the sword and shield weren't going to let them out of their sight. Especially with Lucis at war. Niflheim carriers were still dropping MT's all over the place.

At least there was a tree overhead, providing decent cover from the air. So unless the Nif's saw where they'd stashed the Regalia, they were probably as safe as they were going to be in the wilds.

Ignis kept a watchful eye on Noctis fishing while Gladio made himself comfortable under the tree, facing the road behind them should anything approach. He'd brought his book at least, maybe he could get some reading done. He cracked it open where he'd left off.

 _North fumbled with the shackle around his wrist for the hundredth time. The metal dug into his skin until tears pricked the corners of his eyes and fresh blood began to flow down his fingers. Their captors hadn't fed them since they'd woken up here and North didn't have any strength left in him to fight. He slumped to the cold stone floor of the cell and put his head in his knees._

 _He still couldn't believe Abbigail had betrayed them. His fellow Warden. His companion. His lover._

 _North wasn't sure who he was angrier at. Abbigail for deceiving them, or for himself for letting her get close to him in the first place. "This is my fault," he said under his breath._

" _No," said Vargas, shackled next to him. The chain dragged along the floor as his fellow Warden scooted up beside him and wrapped his free arm around his shoulder. "It's all of our fault. We should have seen the signs from the day she arrived at the Academy… or at the very lease before they pinned our ranks on." His calloused fingers traced the cicada emblem on his collar._

 _There was a hollow silence in the cell. The only noise was the dripping water down the hallway and the distant screaming of some other prisoner who hadn't accepted their fate yet._

" _We're going to die here," said North without any emotion left in his voice._

 _Vargas didn't correct him this time. Instead he said, "Can I confess something to you? Normally I'd worry about it being awkward, but given the current situation…"_

 _North leaned his head onto his compatriots shoulder. It was almost a relief to be devoid of hope. As backwards as that sounded. "Go for it."_

 _Vargas' shackled hand came up and touched North's chin, tilting his face up, and kissed him._

Gladio blinked. He read the line again. Well… he certainly didn't see that coming. He glanced up at the field, scanning for threats quickly before he continued reading.

 _North's eyes shot open, but he didn't pull away._

 _When the kiss broke he held perfectly still for a moment, gazing into Vargas' green eyes. How could he have been so oblivious about not one, but two of his teammates. This man who'd been beside him every day for the last six months, who'd saved his life, who…was kissing him again. This time something warm coiled its way through North's chest as he leaned into the kiss, shifting his position so that he was better facing Vargas. He felt a tongue trace his chapped lips and he opened up to him, causing the heat in his chest to spread throughout his body._

 _Vargas seemed to drop his shields too as he pulled the smaller man into his lap. North straddled him, the arousal evident through his uniform pants as he ground down through his own forming hardness. A moan escaped him when Vargas shifted the kisses to North's pulse. Several days' worth of stubble rubbed along his skin. He could hear his heart hammering in his ears as he ran his hands up Vargas' collar before pulling his hand away sharply. "Ouch," he hissed, looking down at his bleeding finger._

" _What happened?" asked Vargas, his green eyes heavily dilated._

" _Something pricked my finger," said North, slowly moving Vargas' collar aside. The pin that held their rank on their collar had lost its backing… North's eyes went wide. "Holy shit."_

 _Completely pushing aside what they were doing, North pulled off Vargas' collar device, exposing a two inch long spike of metal. Perfect for a lock pick._

"How's the book?"

Gladio jumped and looked up at Ignis. Behind him Noctis was gathering up his tackle box while Prompto carried the decent sized trout they'd caught.

"It's going well, actually," said Gladio. "They found a lock pick. Things are looking hopeful."

Ignis nodded and glanced back at their wards. "That's good. I know I often end up relating more with the characters in my books than I intend to. I wind up living their adventures vicariously, so when they're having a difficult time, so do I." Ignis tilted his head to the side as Gladio stood up. "Do you require sunblock?"

Gladio frowned. "No, why?"

"Your face is all red. Perhaps I should stop driving with the Regalia's roof down for a while."

"Yeah, probably," Gladio said, feigning agreement. He never got sunburn and he knew for a fact that his face was red for other reasons. Namely the book in his hands.

"Anyway," started Ignis, "Once we get the boys back to the haven I was wondering if we could go find some Leiden peppers. I'll need it with the trout for dinner and we haven't any."

"Didn't you just buy a bunch of peppers?"

"Spicy ones, yes. But Leiden peppers are sweet and will better compliment the dish. Do you know if any grow around here?"

Gladio thought for a moment. They usually grew well on warm, south facing hills with sandy soil. Which was pretty much what they were on now. "Yeah, there should be some around here. Let's get these two back to the haven and we'll go look for some."

Ignis nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

With the fish in the cooler and the Prince and Plebe (Prompto's words, not Gladio's) playing their game in the shade of the tent, Ignis made them promise not to leave the haven and to call them if there was even the slightest sight of a Magiteck Carrier nearby. They both agreed as Ignis and Gladio walked away from the haven in search of ingredients.

Gladio tapped Ignis on the arm when they were about a hundred yards away. "Stop looking over your shoulder. They won't go anywhere. We'll be back in fifteen minutes."

"I'm not worried about them leaving. I'm worried about someone finding them."

"You are going to have to stop babying them sooner or later. He is the King of Lucis now, after all."

Ignis' eyes regarded him with something Gladio couldn't read. "Not until the coronation… but I understand your point."

They walked around in casual silence for a few minutes until Gladio spotted an old garage towards the bottom of the hill near the dirt road. The soil around it was plenty sandy, so it was worth a look. When they approached the gray husk of a building they noticed that the roof had long since collapsed in. Pieces of metal and rebar stuck out in all directions and overall it looked like a tetanus nightmare. Ignis walked around one side of the building while Gladio walked around the other.

Almost immediately he found the familiar looking plant sticking out from the corner of the building. "Score," said Gladio, picking a handful of peppers and putting them in the pouch strapped to his thigh. "I got some, Iggy," he called.

"Gladio…" said Ignis. His voice was laced with something resembling alarm. Gladio poked his head around the cinderblock building and froze.

Running from the shack to the bushes seventy feet away was a snakeskin. It was the width of a twin mattress and almost as thick.

The color drained from their faces as they heard a deep hiss emanate from the bushes at the end of the empty skin.

X~X~X

Alright, I have to break this up into two pieces. I have to go to bed at SOME point. Next chapter will be up within 48 hours. Smut is coming too. I promise.


	2. Chapter 2

...AND A HARD PLACE

The hissing noise deepened as the twigs and branches snapped beneath an immense weight. Gladio and Ignis stood paralyzed as a hooded serpentine head, bigger than the Regalia, emerged from the bushes. Its tongue flicked the air, tasting for its prey. The snake's dinner plate sized scales shone obsidian in the late day sun as it turned its head toward them.

Gladio swallowed hard, not daring to move. This thing was exceedingly bigger than the hunt flyer described. They were in way over their head.

His eyes darted to Ignis, who hadn't moved a muscle either. Maybe if they held perfectly still it wouldn't notice them.

The snakes head inclined towards them, as if it could smell their fear. Its tongue flicked again. _It probably_ can _smell fear,_ Gladio thought. Slowly it reared up, flattening out its hood, its eyes locked intensely on Ignis.

Now fully erect it opened its mouth, exposing its fangs.

Gladio only had an instant to react before a stream of thick green venom shot toward the strategist. He tackled Ignis out of the way as the venom splattered the ground where he stood. Paralysis broken they were on their feet in an instant. The snake looked perturbed that it had missed and took chase.

Gladio knew they wouldn't be able to outrun it. Not without any cover to run to.

"Gladio," called Ignis, "in here."

He turned and saw Ignis wedge his way in between two supporting walls of the dilapidated shack. It wasn't much, but it was the only cover they had. Gladio turned sideways and slid in, the concrete walls scratching his bare shoulders as he moved further back. Rusted rebar and structural mesh stuck out at every corner, tearing into Gladio's clothes as he moved.

The snake followed them, pressing its scaled face into the opening but finding it too narrow to follow. It flicked its tongue out, coming in contact with Gladio's forearm. The shield flinched further back into Ignis. The snake turned its head sideways and pressed in a little, the grout between the bricks began to crumble and give way.

Suddenly a dagger flew past Gladio in the narrow space and stuck right in the serpent's nose. It hissed violently and reared back. Shaking its head to dislodge the dagger it turned back toward them and opened its mouth, bearing its fangs again.

This was it. They were going to die. There was nowhere to run to this time.

The venom glands at the side of the serpents head contracted and Gladio shifted, covering Ignis as best he could as he braced himself for the acidic burn to hit them.

Nothing happened.

Opening his eyes, Gladio turned toward the snake. It tried to spit venom again, but only a few strands of fluid dribbled from its mouth. It hissed angrily and lowered its hood. It began to lazily circle the shack, seeking another way in.

Gladio gave an immense sigh of relief. "Thank the Six," he said. "Looks like someone blew their whole load at once. Hopefully it'll be a while…before…" Gladio slowly came to realize how tightly he was crammed against the strategist. His knee was wedged in between Ignis' legs and both of his arms rested on the wall to either side of Ignis' head. He could feel their hearts pounding from their brush with death. At least that's why he imagined why they were beating so fast.

Their noses were an inch apart as Ignis green eyes gazed up at him. His mouth opened slightly as the strategists hands came to rest on his belt, a thumb grazed the bare skin of his hip. "Ignis?"

Scales thrummed against the corner of the building as the serpent circled them. It wasn't giving up so easily.

Gladio felt his face grow hot as the last few paragraphs of his book came flooding back to the forefront of his mind.

" _We're going to die here," said North without any emotion left in his voice._

 _Vargas didn't correct him this time. Instead he said, "Can I confess something to you? Normally I'd worry about it being awkward, but given the current situation…"_

 _North leaned his head onto his compatriots shoulder. It was almost a relief to be devoid of hope. As backwards as that sounded. "Go for it."_

Adrenaline was still screaming its way through Gladio's bloodstream as he looked down at his fellow Crownsguard. He didn't understand what was going on right now, but his body seemed all for it. It was a welcomed distraction from the almost certain death slithering around them. Gladio felt arousal creep through him as Ignis continued to run his bare hands up his midsection.

Green eyes darted to his mouth and back up again. Gladio bit his own lip lightly before resigning himself to it and leaned in.

The wall behind them collapsed as a polar blast of ice racked the area. Shots rang out into the icy air as Noctis warped next to them and helped them up. "Get up! Run! It's coming back!"

"I'll cover you," yelled the gunslinger. Angry shrieks echoed into the air as Prompto hurled another blizzard flask at the serpent, slowing it down. He followed up with more well aimed shots as they fled.

They were half way to the haven when the snake gave up chasing them.

Finally within the safety of the rune covered stone they all collapsed. Prompto was the first to speak. "Was _that_ the snake we were here to hunt? If so I'll pass."

"I concur," said Ignis.

As the lingering coldness of the ice spell passed Gladio began to notice a wet, throbbing sensation on his back. He sat up and felt back, wincing. His hand came back covered in blood. "Guys…"

He heard Noctis suck breath. "Oh, Gladio. That looks bad."

Ignis was behind him in an instant. "Hold still, this will probably hurt," he said, pulling his tank top aside to get a better look. "Damn."

"What is it?" Gladio asked.

Ignis turned to the two younger men. He tossed the keys to the blonde. "Prompto, get the Regalia. Noct, get me some water and clean rags. Then start breaking down camp. We're going back to Lestallum."

Noctis was already handing Ignis a clean t-shirt and a cold bottle of water. "Sorry," said Ignis, ripping the shirt further away from the wound. "You have a piece of rusted metal in your shoulder blade. It doesn't look too deep, but you're going to need antibiotics or you're going to get blood poisoning." Gladio could hear the tent collapsing as their prince rolled it into an unorganized pile.

Gladio winced as he felt Ignis get a good grip of the piece sticking out of him. "Brace yourself, I'm going to pull it out on three." He took a deep breath. "One…" He yanked it out, causing Gladio to yelp. He bit his knuckles as Ignis flushed the wound with cold water and applied pressure.

"What happened to two?" Gladio groaned.

By now Prompto was pulling up in the Regalia and popped the trunk. Noctis was already tossing their camping gear in. Ignis helped him up. "Come on, let us get you some medical attention."

"It's just a flesh wound," said Gladio, trying to make light of the situation.

Ignis smiled back at him. "Be that as it may, do try and avoid ruining the leather by bleeding on it."

Gladio laughed, hiding his wince.

Ignis drove like a bat out of hell and they reached Lestallum in half the time it took them to get out there.

After a quick trip to the Emergency Room, a few stitches, and a shot of antibiotics later, Gladio walked out with the others with a bottle of painkillers he would never use. They got two of the smaller rooms at the Leville considering they'd made enough Gil on previous hunts to warrant it. None of them gave the slightest desire to camp tonight after what had happened.

Besides, Prompto and Noctis seemed happy enough to have real beds to sleep on.

When Ignis and Gladio were settled into the room the shield dug through his bag and pulled out a flask of good whisky he held on to for nights such as this. He didn't like taking pain killers, they made him groggy. Not a good thing to be when you're a body guard. However, one or two small drinks would at least take the edge off the pain radiating through his back at the moment.

He pulled out his book too.

Ignis excused himself to the bathroom to clean up. Gladio had already washed up as much as he could without getting his bandages wet. He'd drank a potion, but it would take time to mend the wound. When he heard the shower start he threw on his pajama pants and settled down to finish his book.

Anything to distract him from what almost happened in the shack.

Ignis rinsed the shampoo out of his hair, only now realizing how much he'd stank of snake. He'd already thrown his clothes into a garbage bag and tied the knot tight. His shirt and pants were still splattered with venom. Thankfully it wasn't enough to soak through. He just hoped it wouldn't stain, he liked those pants.

Besides the obvious awkwardness that had occurred while he was pinned against Gladio, it warmed his heart to know that the shield was willing to take the brunt of the second venom attack if it had occurred. It would have almost certainly killed him.

Ignis chided himself for his foolishness. He'd risked their lives under the false pretense of needing some stupid peppers for dinner. (Okay, that was only half true. That would have made a delicious meal.) He really had just wanted to get some time alone with the shield while Prompto and Noctis stayed out of harm's way at the haven. He couldn't recall the last time Gladio and him were alone for more than a few minutes.

In the end it was their ward that saved _them_ with Prompto's aid. He would have to thank them more formally in the morning.

Those thoughts out of the way, the feeling of Gladio's muscles under his fingers crept back to mind. The blush of the shields cheeks as they looked at each other inches away. The feel of arousal pressing into his stomach…

Ignis shook his head and turned the water on cold.

It would not do to dwell on fantasies. He was probably only seeing what he wanted to see, not what was actually there. Gladio wasn't like that.

…was he?

Gladio glanced up from his page as Ignis exited the bathroom devoid of his glasses, already wearing his sleep pants and tank top. His hair was still damp and free of products, lying flat against his head. Gladio looked back down at the page before the strategist caught him looking. He took a deep slow breath. His reading hadn't helped the situation at all.

North and Vargas had picked the locks to their shackles, killed a guard, and found their way out of the prison. They'd made it to one of the abandoned Warden outposts and were tending their wounds while they waited for help to arrive.

All the while there was an intense tension between the two of them. Gladio was utterly torn between finishing the chapter and throwing the book into the wall in frustration. Fuck, why did the story have to be so compelling and infuriating at the same time?

It was this books fault he'd nearly kissed Ignis in the first place.

…Right?

Gladio glanced up again as Ignis checked his phone and tapped away for a few moments before plugging it in to be charged. He walked over and sat down on top of the floral duvet cover of the other bed. "How is your back?" he asked.

Gladio took a sip of his scotch. "Tender," he said. "And it itches a little, but that's good. Mean's the potion's working."

"Would you mind if I have a sip of that?" Ignis asked.

Now Gladio did look up from his book. "You sure? I've never seen you drink anything stronger than wine."

Ignis shrugged. "I'm sure I'll manage, but if you don't want to share, that's understandable."

"No, you can have as much as you want." Gladio held the flask out.

Ignis took it and downed a decent swig before handing it back, coughing lightly. "Thank you, by the way. You saved my life. Twice if you include when the snake ran out of spit."

Gladio took another sip and screwed the cap back on the flask. "Don't mention it. It's literally my job."

"To protect Noctis, not me."

Gladio paused, "Well, you got me there. Guess I like having you around, Specks."

Ignis smiled. "The feeling is mutual." He leaned forward and laced his fingers together. "Shall I be the one to address the elephant in the room?"

He didn't say anything. He'd been afraid of this. He dog-eared the spot in his book and closed it before putting it aside.

"What happened out there today?" asked Ignis.

He put his hands out to his sides in an obvious gesture. "We wildly underestimated a hunt."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Gladio sighed. There was no dodging this one. "I honestly don't know."

Ignis appeared to ponder this answer for a moment, his face expressionless. Gladio wondered what was going through the strategists head. "I have a proposition," he finally sad. "We could, A) Not talk about it every again and pretend it didn't happen, or B) we could recreate it and… see what happens."

Gladio considered this for a moment. Part of him really wanted to go with Option A, but then he would be in the same predicament as the book characters he was so vexed with at the moment. He was sure that if someone was reading this scene they would be thinking, 'Just kiss him already!'

"What do _you_ want?" Gladio asked.

Ignis swallowed. "I'm not terribly fond of Option A."

"Me neither."

They stared at one another for a moment, debating how to go about this when Ignis took the initiative. He stood up and closed the distance between the two beds. "Say stop if any of this is uncomfortable."

 _This whole thing is uncomfortable,_ thought Gladio, but he just nodded.

Ignis put his hands on his shoulders as he sat down in Gladio's lap, lowering his fingers until they rested on his hips beneath his shirt. "I think this is about where we left off," Ignis said, tracing his thumbs along the ridge of muscle.

The last time they were caught up in the heat of the moment. Their emotions were running high and adrenaline was pumping. Now… it felt much more intimate.

Before he knew it Ignis' lips were on his. Gladio closed his eyes as they remained like that for a few seconds. It was chaste, but already he felt his face grow hot and the spots where Ignis traced fingers along his torso were on fire.

He'd known Ignis for nearly a decade. They'd trained together countless times and while Gladio had admired the strategist's skills and physique, he'd never even considered this. Suddenly he felt like he'd missed out.

Where was Option B when they were teenagers?

The kiss was over as soon as it began. He opened his eyes inches from Ignis'. The strategist's green eyes were blown out in the dim light of the room. Ignis lightly chewed his lip before he said, "Did you feel any-mmmf." Gladio didn't let him finish as he leaned forward and took his mouth in his again.

This time the tentativeness was gone as Ignis opened his mouth and devoured Gladio's. He tasted of scotch with an underlying tone of cinnamon toothpaste. Gladio reached down and grabbed Ignis' ass, pulling him closer. Ignis' nimble hands worked their way up his back, hesitating only when fingers reached the edge of the bandages.

The thin layers of their sleep pants did little to hide Gladio's arousal as it pressed into Ignis'. He thrust up into him, earning a moan from the strategist. Gladio liked that noise. He did it again and soon they were grinding wantonly into one another.

In no time they'd shed each other of their shirts and laid down on the bed. Gladio had dipped his hands down the back of Ignis' pants and gotten a firm grip on his toned ass. He was reciprocated with hot, open mouthed kisses along his pulse as Ignis laced his fingers through Gladio's hair and held fast. When he felt teeth against the tendons of his neck the spring loaded coil of orgasm began to wind itself up within him.

"Iggy," he managed to get out, "where are we going with this?" He really didn't want that mouth to stop working his pulse, but the questions had to be asked. "This is new to me."

Ignis stopped for a moment and propped himself up against Gladio's chest. "How far would you like to go?"

Gods, that accent had never sounded so erotic.

"However far you want to go," something dawned on Gladio, "but I don't have any supplies." Gladio certainly hadn't expected to be getting laid on this road trip. So at the moment he was woefully unprepared.

Ignis seemed to consider for a moment. "I have supplies. Though I hope they'll be big enough." He wiggled atop Gladio's member, eliciting a sharp breath from the shield. "Let me check," he said before sliding off him. His skin cold from the absence.

Rummaging through the side pouch of his luggage Ignis pulled out a small gold package and a tiny vial of lubricant. "Always ready, aren't you."

"Semper paratus," Ignis said as he tossed the gold package to Gladio, before pulling his own sleep pants down. Gladio took a moment to appreciate the gymnast physique and the erect member pointing at him before Ignis crawled onto the bed up to him and kissed him again.

Gladio felt Ignis fingers trace down his chest and abs until they reached his waistband and pulled down, freeing his member to the cool air of the room. Ignis broke the kiss and traced his tongue down over his collar bone, over a nipple, and lower. "I've thought about doing this a few times in the past," Ignis admitted, sending a little jolt down to Gladio's already raging hard member.

He couldn't think of any witty comebacks before Ignis ran a tongue along his cock. "Six, Iggy," he gasped as he took as much of Gladio into his mouth as he could. Ignis was good at this.

Looking down he realized that the strategist had already cracked open the vial of lube, his free hand hidden beneath him. Ignis took him as far as his throat would allow and Gladio had to grab onto his hair and pull him off.

He regarded the look on Ignis' as if for the first time. His hair disheveled, spit all over his flushed face, his free hand still working behind him. Gladio had never even considered he could look like this. If he hadn't seen the transition then he would have thought it was a different person entirely.

"You're too good at that. You'd better get up here or this might end before it starts."

Ignis wiped off his chin. "If you insist," he said sitting up and squeezing more lubricant into his hand while Gladio tore the condom package open with his teeth. He rolled it on just before Ignis applied more lube onto him. Once he was sufficiently slick Ignis crawled back up to him. "You just lie there, I'll do the work. Don't want to aggravate your injury," he said kissing Gladio before biting his lip lightly as he pulled away. For once Gladio wasn't going to argue.

Ignis sat up and took Gladio's member in his hand and lined himself up.

Gladio put his hands on Ignis' hips and took a deep breath. No going back now.

Slowly, agonizingly, Ignis slid down on him. His face winced a few times until he was completely bottomed out. Gladio's head was swimming as Ignis adjusted. "Fuck, you're tight."

Ignis didn't reply, he just took a few long breaths in and out of his nose as he became accustomed to Gladio. A moment later he began to move and his green eyes looked down on Gladio in a way that was indescribable. Lust mixed with predatory.

A moan escaped Gladio's throat as Ignis swiveled his hips just so, eliciting a gasp of his own. He must have hit a spot he liked because he repeated the process again, and again, and again until Gladio was thrusting up to meet him.

Gladio toed the edge of orgasm for longer than he thought possible. He wanted Ignis to come first, but he was running out of time. Reaching down he took Ignis cock in his hands and stroked him quickly as he bounced on top of him.

Soon the strategist pace became erratic as he dug his hails into Gladio's chest. "Gladiolus," he gasped before coming all over the shields hand and stomach. Gladio didn't waste any time as he sat up and grabbed Ignis hips, shoving him down on to his cock roughly until he came too, moaning loudly into Ignis' chest as he did.

He kissed Ignis' sternum as he wrapped his arms around the smaller man's waist. When the panting subsided he said, "I'm so fucking glad we went with Option B."

Ignis ran his fingers through Gladio's mane. "I'm inclined to agree. Although I think there is one unforeseen downside to all this."

"Yeah? And what would that be?"

The strategist sighed. "Apparently you are rather loud in bed, and I'm willing to bet good Gil that his Highness and Prompto heard us. Assuming we didn't interrupt anything on their part."

Gladio made a face and looked up at his new lover. "What do you mean?"

Ignis chuckled. "For such an intelligent man you can be quite oblivious at times."

X~X~X

Gods I love these two.

I don't often write from Gladio's point of view, so this was a bit of an experiment on my part.

Thanks again for reading. Check me out on Tumblr and reviews are always welcomed. -^_^-


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